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This Foodie Instagram is the Easy Way to Learn Japanese

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Japanese is a notoriously difficult language to learn, but there’s now a foodie Instagram account that offers an easy way to learn Japanese through exploring Japanese food culture.

Nihongo Flashcards posts various Japanese foods and associated paraphernalia and locations in pictorial form alongside the English pronunciation and the written Japanese. The account is the work of Hiroshima-based design duo Pompette, who wanted to “create a visually fun learning tool for anybody learning Japanese or interested in Japan” and “a tool for Japanese people introducing Japanese foods and culture in English,” they told Spoon Tobago.

A photo posted by Nihongo Flashcards (@nihongo_flashcards) on May 7, 2016 at 2:52am PDT

The flashcards include gunkan-maki (battleship roll), takoyaki (octopus rolls), and also some non-Japanese dishes, such as sufure cheezu ke-ki (soufflé cheesecake). Pompette say they just want to “deliver a little happiness through their creations” – 'pompette' is French for 'tipsy'. The best way to learn Japanese, as with any language, is to immerse oneself fully in the culture, but as that may not be possible, then this easy way to learn at least some Japaneseis a great start. After all, food is a common language.